


Something Wicked

by escapismaddict



Series: Something Wicked [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Demon Hunters, Incubi, M/M, Rating will change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 18:42:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15321822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escapismaddict/pseuds/escapismaddict
Summary: [ Rating will go up in the next update! ]Jesse is an experienced demon hunter who thinks he knows what he's getting into when he takes on a fairly standard hunting job. But what happens when his client turns out to be an intriguing and unfairly attractive young man with a secret or two up his sleeve? His new acquaintance is more alluring- and the job more dangerous- than Jesse bargained for.





	Something Wicked

        Jesse has always had a good eye for people, and he and gets contacted by all types in his line of work, from the low down and desperate to the bored and curious. The former are a sadder lot, though they’re the reason he’s in the business of demon hunting to begin with. The latter tend to be rich enthusiasts who either don’t know or care about the risks involved.

        When it comes down to deciding which category his clients fall into, Jesse feels confident in his ability to tell friend from foe and trouble from not. It’s skill honed from years of experience.  
  
        So the moment Jesse first sets eyes on Genji Shimada, he pins him for the rich, bored, and troublesome type.

        Genji is waiting in the predetermined location, lounging on a park bench like he’s actively posing for a photo in a modeling shoot. His black jeans are sinfully tight and his T-shirt is artfully oversized, the neck cut wide and showing a lot more shoulder than it needs to. Jesse feels himself scowling as he gets closer. He never did have patience for people who put on airs.

        And it gets worse, as it turns out. When Genji turns his head to watch Jesse approach, sunlight glints off of his sunglasses. The lenses are tinted so dark that Jesse can’t even see a hint of the eyes behind them, though he can see the designer logo on the side just fine. They weren’t exactly made for subtility. Even from a distance, he thinks he sees rhinestones.

_Great._

     Jesse stops just short of the bench, hands tucked into the pockets of his worn-out jeans. There’s a moment where no one speaks. Jesse can only assume he’s being inspected from behind the shadow of those sunglasses sure as he’s doing his own inspecting.

        “You YoungSparrow?” Jesse finally breaks the silence, though it’s a question he doesn’t really have to ask. It’s more of a formality really. His contact- username YoungSparrow, icon a blurry picture of a bird in flight- had told him to look for green hair, and the man in front of him has the greenest hair Jesse has ever seen. It should look gaudy as hell, the stranger wears it like he was born to.

        YoungSparrow grins and pulls his glasses down a bit, just enough so he can look up at Jesse from above them. There’s laughter in those eyes, and no lack of mischief, all of it conveyed with just a smile.

        Ah, hell. Rich, bored, and damn pretty at that. Definitely trouble.

     “And you must be The Gunslinger. Didn’t think you were serious about the hat.” He nudges his glasses back up and motions to the free space next to him on the bench. “Suits you though,” he continues, his smile a warm, almost wicked thing.

        Jesse doesn’t react to the compliment, not even sure if it’s flirting, teasing, or a bit of both. He takes the offered seat and tries very hard to ignore the feeling of a dark-tinted gaze boring into him. This isn’t off to a good start, but he at least has an obligation to listen. And if what this client has told him about his next mark is true, then he’s going to need the intel.

        “No need to butter me up, hon. If I wasn’t interested in the job, I wouldn’t be here.” After scanning the area around them and finding no curious, lingering eyes, Jesse leans back, deceptively relaxed, and turns his attention back to his seatmate. “Name’s Jesse, by the way. Don’t gotta stick with the nicknames out here, unless that makes you more comfortable.”

        “Fine by me. Call me Genji then.” YoungSparrow, AKA Genji, folds his arms loosely over his chest, and Jesse is struck again by how carefree he looks. If he really does have news about a demon to share, he doesn’t seem troubled by it. The park is quiet around them, just the right amount of public and private for a conversation like this.

        Jesse doesn’t waste any time getting into it.

        “Just so you know,” he starts off, slipping on his best no-nonsense tone, “this ain’t a game. I don’t do this for shits and giggles.  It’s dangerous work, and people are liable to get hurt. If you’re lookin’ for a thrill or just want to get up close and personal with the occult, then you’re talking to the wrong man. Go buy a Ouiji board or somethin’.”

        Genji raises one eyebrow, though his smile doesn’t slip even a centimeter. “Do you accuse everyone you work with of being a thrill-seeker?”

        “Just a certain type.”

        “My type?”

        Jesse shrugs, but there’s nothing indecisive about the way he meets Genji’s eye- or would meet it, if it weren’t for the damn glasses. Feels like a power move, Genji hiding his face like that. Or maybe it’s Jesse’s paranoia talking. Either way, it doesn’t sit well with him.

        “Been doing this a long time. Now, I don’t mean to offend,” he says in that particular sort of deep southern drawl that implies he’s fully aware he’s potentially being offensive, “but you don’t look like someone who has been working in this business long-term. Means you’re not a professional. And you don’t look run ragged and scared like people who are being hunted or possessed.” Genji, to his credit, just continues to listen silently. He doesn’t seem insulted, so Jesse pushes on. In for a penny, in for a pound.

        “Only time I tend to hear from the rich and comfortable is when they’re hopin’ to buy an experience from me. And I ain’t in the business of sellin’ those.”

     That’s usually the cue for people to sputter indignantly or argue his point. But to Jesse’s surprise, Genji does neither. He merely reaches up, calmly takes his glasses off, then hooks them on the neck of his shirt.

        “You really are a professional, aren’t you? I had my doubts with the hat. And the boots. And the belt.” Genji meets Jesse’s gaze directly with his own without a bit of hesitation. He’s still smiling, but there’s more of an edge to it than before. Not angry, not mean, but noticeably more present somehow. Jesse swats down the urge to sit up a bit straighter under the intensity of the gaze.

        “And what, exactly, does someone who works in your business look like?” Genji continues. “Are you all scruffy, muscled-up cowboys?” He pointedly looks Jesse up and down, taking his time, and Jesse does his best to stay perfectly still under the inspection. He usually doesn’t like being sized up like that, not unless it’s under _very_ different circumstances. But something about the way Genji does it blurs that line between professional and personal. Jesse swears he can feel those eyes catching, lingering a little too long for a strictly casual interest. Maybe Genji had been flirting after all.

_Has it been that long, that you’re already losing focus over a pretty face?_

        “There’s nobody quite like me on the circuit, least not that I know about.” One skill Jesse has picked up over the years is prattling on like everything is fine, even when his thoughts are on a completely different planet. “But there is a type. Couldn’t tell you how I know, but I can usually tell when I’m talking to another hunter.”

        Genji hums thoughtfully at that, gaze coming back to rest on Jesse’s face. “Well, you’re half-right. I’m not a hunter, but my…” Watching the change in Genji’s expression is like watching a cloud move over the sun. Jesse blinks, however, and the change is gone. “... my family was in the business.”

        “Was?”

        Jesse dreads asking, already feeling the answer deep in his gut. It’s not often that families of hunters stick together long enough to be well-known, for one reason or another. Internal strife. The inherent danger of the job. He isn’t surprised when Genji looks away, staring out over the green expanse of the park.

        “We’re no longer close.”

        There’s something final about his tone, and Jesse nods. He’ll leave it at that. First impressions and fancy clothes be damned- no one deserves to have old family wounds prodded at for no good reason.

        “So you know a thing or two?” he asks, thinking the olive branch is warranted.

        “Just a little. More theory than practical knowledge. That’s why I found the forum and got in touch with you. It’s been a long time, but I know a demon when I see one.”

     When Genji turns back to Jesse, there’s no longer even a trace of that laughter left in his eyes. The carefully posed model is gone, replaced by an earnestness that Jesse appreciates a lot more.

        “I understand the danger,” Genji continues, “and I’m not looking for a thrill. I’m not its target, but someone else will be if nothing is done. _That’s_ why I’m here. Surely you can understand that?”

        Jesse feels some of his initial tension ebbing away as he nods. That’s what he needed: some proof Genji is serious.

        “Hearin’ you loud and clear.” He holds out a hand, feeling relieved when Genji blinks down at it and extends his own hand, the tension seeming to slip off his shoulders. “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s do some business.”

**\---**

        They move to a small cafe a few blocks from the park to go over what information Genji has collected so far. He’d initially caught sight of the demon feeding covertly off of a man in a nightclub in San Francisco just a little over a month prior.

        “Thought it was a pretty brazen move,” Genji says, hands wrapped around the mocha latte he’d ordered. Extra whipped cream. Chocolate sauce. In Jesse’s humble opinion, it looks more like a dessert in a cup than a drink. “But honestly, I don’t think anyone else would have noticed. I only did because I know what to look for. Something just didn’t seem right.”

        Incubi weren’t the worst sort of demon you could meet out on a Saturday night, but they were nasty pieces of work just the same. Jesse has been unlucky enough to run into a few in his time. They had been low-level cannon fodder and way too confident, and the pair of them couldn’t imagine anyone resisting their charms long enough to put a bullet between their eyes. Jesse had been more than happy to relieve them of that misconception.

        The incubus Genji saw hadn’t killed his victim that night, only leaving the man pleasantly dazed and exhausted where he sat in the corner of the club. But Jesse knows better than to take that as any kind of indicator of a conscience. That’s something demons just don’t have. Comes with not having a soul.

        In his notebook, right next to all his other notes from this conversation and an old doodle of a cactus, he scribbles down the word ‘motivation’ with several question marks at the end. Live victims meant loose ends. There had to be a reason.

        Genji had managed to track the demon home that night, where the creature had already been in the process of moving house. It had come to New York the very next morning, and Genji had only managed to snag a seat on the same flight with a lot of charm and no lack of cash passed from hand-to-hand. Wasn’t unusual for higher-level demons to move often and take to larger cities to conceal their identities, but the coincidence still gives Jesse pause. He takes a sip of his black coffee, watching Genji over the rim of the cup.

        The entire time they’ve spent together this afternoon, Genji has shown no indication that he’s not who he says he is. On top of that, he’s personable as hell. He’d managed to charm the entire coffee shop’s staff within minutes of walking through the door, greeting them like old friends although they’d never met before. Jesse thinks the barista in particular is already planning a wedding, the way she keeps staring star-struck in Genji’s direction.

        And he’s been nothing but genial towards Jesse despite the hunter’s less-than-personable first impression, even offering to pay for Jesse’s drink.

        And yet…

        “Pretty damn lucky you saw him that night in particular.”

        And managed to follow him to the airport, dropping everything in San Fran with absolutely no notice.

        And catch the same flight.

        And keep track of the incubus in New York City, all within a couple of days.

        Based on the knowing way Genji is smirking at Jesse from over his own drink, he knows at least some of what Jesse is thinking. “It’s all very suspicious, isn’t it?”

        “Let’s just say if this was a movie or somethin’, I’d think the plot was pretty damn far-fetched.”

        To his surprise, Genji actually tilts his head back and laughs out loud at that. Calling it “stunning” might be a stretch, but Jesse feels a bit floored anyway. Genji has a face made for smiling, and seeing him laugh is… well, it’s something else. Jesse can only imagine the look on the barista’s face at that moment.

        “I learned to be observant and flexible, growing up the way I did,” Genji admits when the laugh dies down. “And my family always had a knack for these things. Almost like…” He gestures aimlessly with one hand in the air, searching for the right word. “Luck,” he finally settles on the word with an air of finality. “An almost unnatural kind of luck. We were infamous for it back home. Do you know what I mean?”

        Oh. Well, that changed things somewhat.

        “Your family is demon-touched?”

        Genji shrugs, glancing for a moment down at his tattooed arm. It’s beautiful ink, black and gold and green twining around the limb from shoulder to wrist. Intricate. Likely costly in time and money. There’s a twist to Genji’s mouth that isn’t quite a smile. “Is that what you call it?”

        “Some people do. Might mean there’s demonic blood or old magic in your family, going way back.” Jesse shrugs. “Ain’t uncommon in this business.”

Genji swirls the latte around in his cup and thoughtfully looks down into the espresso and sugar vortex. “You don’t make it sound like a bad thing. Isn’t anything a demon has touched something foul?” He doesn’t raise his head, but he does look up at Jesse with just his eyes. “Tainted?”

        “Some people think so, yeah.”

        “But not you?”

        Jesse weighs the import of what he’s about to say before he says it. It’s been a long time since he opted to work like this with a client, rather than just taking the intel and doing his own thing. Under normal circumstances, he’d have no reason to tell his client a thing about himself.

        But the more time he spends with Genji… he has to admit, the man is growing on him a little. Despite his looks, he’s charming without being obnoxious, and curious without being pushy. Add a good sense of humor and the ballsiness to trail a demon on a moment’s notice, and the thought of working with him for another few days isn’t so terrible.

        “Let’s just say I don’t have much room to talk.”

        That gets both of Genji’s eyebrows shooting straight up towards his hairline.

        “You mean that you-?”

        Jesse sets his coffee down, letting the sharp sound of the cup hitting the tabletop cut that thought off mid-sentence. “But that’s not our primary concern right now,” Jesse says, tone brooking no argument.

        Genji, to his credit, takes the hint and swallows the rest of that question back; but there’s a new attentiveness to the way he’s looking at Jesse now. Like he thinks if he stares long and hard enough, he could somehow see some trace of what Jesse had hinted at on his face.

        Unlike some folks in his same boat though, Jesse is confident he doesn’t have a bit of demonic aura about him. His “special skills” only manifest when he wants them to- which is very, very rarely.

        Jesse leans his forearms on the table and tries to let go of the feeling that he’s made a mistake. It’s not like it’s a huge secret anyway. Other hunters have seen what he can do in the heat of battle, meaning that there are already rumors, and Jesse reckons tongues will continue to wag no matter what he does.

        But it’s just an old habit to feel like revealing any bit of information about himself is exposing some weak point, which is probably why Jesse can keep count of the people he calls friends on the fingers of one hand. Being private just means there’s less information out there floating around, waiting for something or someone to exploit it.

        But watching Genji watching him, Jesse figures he can afford to tell someone something about himself at least once a decade. Especially if they might be working together soon. And speaking of…

        “This would usually be the part where I tell you to give me the rest of what you know, and that I’ll call you in a few days with an update.” Jesse tilts his head, unable to hold back a grin. “But let me guess: if I try that now, you’re just gonna show up anyway and make a nuisance of yourself the whole damn time.”

        There it is again: another laugh out of Genji. Jesse’s grin widens in response. It’s dangerous, that laugh. Makes Jesse want to find all the different ways he can tease it out.

        “We’ve been acquainted for what, three hours?” Genji leans forward himself, that playful light back in his eyes from earlier that afternoon. It makes something twist pleasantly in Jesse’s stomach. “And you already know me so well.”

        “Like I said,” Jesse drawls, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that says he should know better. “I know your type.”

**\---**

        They agree to meet again the next day to stake out a few of the demon’s usual haunts, and Genji gives Jesse all the intel he has: addresses, a few rough notes, and a single, low-quality photo. It had been taken at night and the details are grainy, but Jesse can at least get an idea of the demon’s human facade.

        “This him?” Jesse asks, holding the photo up close to his face. The man has long, dark hair pulled back from his face, the sides either cut short or shaved. Facial hair. A few piercings. A scowl that looks permanent. Based on the picture, he looks damn pretty. But of course he does. Fishing lures are pretty for the same reason.

        Genji nods his assent.

        “That’s him. That’s the incubus.”

        “He got a name?”

        “I’m sure he’s got several,” Genji says, which gets a chuckle out of Jesse. The smart ones always had a million and one pseudonyms. “But I don’t know any of them yet. But we can look into the addresses-”

     “And see who the landlords _thought_ they were renting out to,” Jesse finishes for him. There’s a quiet moment where he and Genji just look at each other across the cafe table, and Jesse is struck suddenly by how easy this all feels. If there is tension between them, it isn’t uncomfortable at all. Quite the contrary in fact.

        Genji is the first to act, holding his hand out expectantly over the tabletop. Jesse stares uncomprehendingly at it until Genji laughs and says, “Your phone, cowboy. This will be easier if we don’t have to use email to communicate.”

        “Oh! I, uh-” Jesse curses silently to himself as he fumbles for his phone, and Genji’s answering smirk isn’t even half as infuriating as it should be. Jesse can’t even really blame him. He can’t remember the time he got honest-to-God flustered over the barest bit of flirting, and he’d be laughing if he was on the other side of this scenario himself. It really has been way too long.

        “What?” Jesse does his best to school his expression back to nonchalance as he keys in his pin and hands the phone off to Genji, address book open. “I ain’t a mind reader. You want somethin’ while we’re on this hunt, you gotta tell me.”

        Genji hums as he types his information, fingers like lightning over the keypad. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” he says as he hands the phone back. Jesse doesn’t miss the way Genji’s fingers brush his own in his process. It’s a deliberate gesture, impossible not to notice. “But where is the fun in that?”

        There it is again, in the back of Jesse’s thoughts: that voice of reason, reminding him that this is a _job_.

        But the job won’t last forever, and the way Genji is looking at Jesse now feels like great incentive to get it done quick. Find the demon, kill it, and then…

        “Ain’t much fun, but it gets the job done a lot faster.” Jesse pockets his phone and gathers up his notes and Genji’s papers. He’ll go over it all again in his hotel room that night and see what else he can find out. The more they know about this particular demon’s habits, the easier the hunt will be.

        “Well, that begs the question then,” Genji muses, stretching his arms up over his head. The too-big T-Shirt shifts in all kinds of interesting ways that Jesse does his best to ignore. Based on the pleased way Genji is watching him, he’s not doing so well. “Do you care more about speed, or quality?”

        Jesse swallows back an indignant huff. Alright, there is officially nothing fair about this entire situation. But the question gets a grin out of him just the same. “Don’t see why we can’t have both.”

        That elicits another laugh out of Genji, which Jesse proudly adds to his mental tally. Might be that he’ll enjoy this job after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is: the first installment of my first fic! This was initially going to be a one-shot, but I’m planning on two chapters overall. Is this job really as straightforward as it seems? And doesn’t the demon sound awfully familiar? I wonder…
> 
> I’d genuinely like to thank anyone who took the time to read this. I’ve always been very hesitant to share any of my writing, but I hope I can improve my work by sharing some of it online. Comments and feedback are more than welcome!
> 
> And lastly, thank you to everyone who beta'd this for me. Y'all gave me the courage to finally put it out there.


End file.
